Bombardier announced today that it has obtained its francization certificate from the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF).The announcement was made at an event attended by Diane De Courcy, Minister of Immigration and Cultural Communities and Minister responsible for the Charter of the French language, Jean-François Lisée, Minister of International Relations, La Francophonie and External Trade and Minister responsible for the Montréal region, Bombardier Aerospace executives and numerous employees.

The francization certificate attests to the fact that Bombardier Aerospace in Québec, and the Corporate Office of Bombardier Inc., located in Montréal, comply with the requirements of the Charter of the French Language. It also confirms that the French language is consistently and widely used at Bombardier, and recognizes the best language practices implemented within the organization.

“The francization certificate we have been awarded shows the importance that Bombardier attaches to French as the language of work," said Sylvie Bourdon, Vice President, Human Resources, Bombardier Aerospace. "We are proud of this achievement, especially since we are the first large corporation to obtain this certification in the Québec aerospace industry, where English is often the working language.”

“Bombardier's achievement today is extremely significant," noted Diane De Courcy. "It is now possible, in a field as heavily regulated and controlled as aerospace, to work, succeed and do business in French—and to do so internationally as well. It sends a strong message to the business community. And I call upon businesses to heed this message, because we need more inspiring examples like today's, if only to slow down the regression of the French language in the workplace seen in the Greater Montréal area. We can't stress this enough: the future of the French language will be decided in the workplace.”

“Bombardier’s announcement is well-timed to reaffirm the necessity to make French the normal and everyday language of work, including in high-technology industries that do a lot of business abroad. The issuance of this important francization certificate has symbolic value: representing our government's firm commitment to upholding the Charter of the French Language and the capacity of global companies like Bombardier to meet this challenge,” said Mr. Lisée.

“We have been able to achieve our francization goals thanks to outstanding collaboration between Bombardier Aerospace management, union representatives, our employees and the Office québécois de la langue française," added Sylvie Bourdon. "The success of the francization program rests largely on this partnership and the commitment of all stakeholders involved. As francization remains a priority for the organization, the Francization Committee will continue to play an active role at all our sites in Québec.”

About Bombardier

Bombardier is the world’s only manufacturer of both planes and trains. Looking far ahead while delivering today, Bombardier is evolving mobility worldwide by answering the call for more efficient, sustainable and enjoyable transportation everywhere. Our vehicles, services and, most of all, our employees are what make us a global leader in transportation.

Bombardier is headquartered in Montréal, Canada. Our shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (BBD) and we are listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability World and North America Indexes. In the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012, we posted revenues of $16.8 billion USD. News and information are available at bombardier.com or follow us on Twitter: @Bombardier.

Notes to Editors

Photo 1: From left to right: Hélène V. Gagnon, Vice President, Public Affairs, Communications, Corporate Social Responsibility and Achieving Excellence System, Bombardier Aerospace; Sylvie Bourdon, Vice President, Human Resources, Bombardier Aerospace; Diane De Courcy, Minister of Immigration and Cultural Communities and Minister responsible for the Charter of the French language; Jean-François Lisée, Minister of International Relations, La Francophonie and External Trade, and Minister responsible for the Montréal region; Yvon Paiment, President, Local 712, IAMAW; Éric Blanchet, Representative for Prevention and member of the francization committee, UNIFOR.

Photo 2: From left to right: Éric Blanchet, Representative for Prevention and member of the francization committee, UNIFOR; Jean-François Lisée, Minister of International Relations, La Francophonie and External Trade, and Minister responsible for the Montréal region; Hélène V. Gagnon, Vice President, Public Affairs, Communications, Corporate Social Responsibility and Achieving Excellence System, Bombardier Aerospace; Sylvie Bourdon, Vice President, Human Resources, Bombardier Aerospace; Diane De Courcy, Minister of Immigration and Cultural Communities and Minister responsible for the Charter of the French language; Jacques Beauchemin, Associate Deputy Minister for the French language, responsible for the implementation of the language policy, the Ministry of Immigration and Cultural Communities, and interim CEO of the Office Québécois de la langue française; Jean Pierre Bourbonnais, Vice President, Information Technologies and Chief Information Officer; Yvon Paiment, President, Local 714, IAMAW.

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